This invention relates to a forage handler and more particularly to a forage handler having a rotary head and beater for retrieving forage from large forage stacks.
Modern agricultural techniques teach the storage of loose hay, corn silage, milo silage, and other types of forage in stacks either on top of the ground or in specifically constructed trenches partially or entirely positioned below ground level. Additionally, large round bales of hay weighing on the order of 1500 pounds are also often stored in rows on the open uncovered ground. Both the stacks and the bales cure on their outer surface and thus protect the interior forage from spoilage and weathering.
Equipment for handling forage stored in this outside stack manner is required to pick up the forage from the stacks and transport it from the fields in which it is stored to the various areas in which the livestock are fed and tended. As the stacks cure, very hard blocks or aggregations of forage are often formed as a result of the moisture, heat and pressure developed in the stacks as the forage decomposes. The extent of the formation of such aggregations varies in accordance with the dryness of the crops, type of crop, weather conditions, and the like. However, under typical farming conditions, these forage aggregations are formed and can create substantial problems in handling the stacked forage. Also, because the stacks are relatively high, it is difficult to easily access and load the forage without causing the stack to cave in and clog the loading or handling device.
The principal objects of the present invention are: to provide a forage handler having a vertically adjustable rotating head for dislodging forage from outside forage stacks; to provide such a forage handler having a rotary beater which breaks up large aggregations of forage and assists in feeding the forage into the forage gathering equipment; to provide such a forage handler adapted for combination with conventionally designed agricultural forage gathering devices which can further chop and/or process the forage if so desired; to provide such a forage handler which is easily removable from the forage gathering equipment during seasons when not in use or alternatively, which can be left mounted on the forage gathering equipment even when it is used for its normal task of harvesting forage without interfering therewith; to provide such a forage handler wherein the rotor head dislodges forage from the stack and directs the same into the rotary beater; to provide such a device having the rotary head mounted between the ends of a pair of support booms and including a wire mesh cover positioned thereinbetween for directing the dislodged forage into the beater; and to provide such a forage handler which is capable of an extended useful life, and is particularly well adapted for the proposed use.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention.